Licensee fights to keep patio secure

Tania King, Punch lessee of the Blue Lagoon bar and B&B in Hove, received planning permission from Brighton & Hove City Council in 2008 to fence off the patio area at the front of her premises. She also installed gates, which are locked overnight when the pub is closed.

However, members of the Kingsway and West Hove Residents Association (KAWHRA) oppose the overnight closure on the grounds that the patio used to offer a right of way from Kingsway, the main seafront road, to Hove Lagoon and the beach.

The issue will be considered at a meeting of the council’s governance committee on 15 November.

King said: “Putting a right of way straight through means we have no control over youths and drunks. When we first moved in seven years ago, there were lots of youths gathering, drug taking, drinking and violence was going on. We called the police so many times, and we even have a letter from a crime prevention officer stating it was a good idea to shut it off.

“We cannot understand why they (the residents) are unhappy.

“It is our property; they’re not disputing this, but they are claiming it’s a right of way and they should be able to pass through at what-ever time.
“The trouble it will cause us is incredible and I cannot see this as anything but crazy.”

Jane Galvin, secretary of KAWHRA, said: “A few of our members have been trying for the past few years to get the right of way reinstated through the steps by the Blue Lagoon pub, as the current pub management are often closing the gates.

“Many of our older local residents say that they have used these steps since childhood, and photographs and maps exist showing them. For many people the steps are still the shortest route to the seafront.”